Heart
by purplenurpless
Summary: What happens when Ulquiorra lives? And what did Orihime do to save him? Image not mine. Read on tumblr: espadamuse
1. Prologue

_Fading…fading away slowly. My body is at its limit. I can exist no longer. My time has come._

'_No, I won't let that happen! I can't let you die!' The words of a human meant nothing to the espada, but something about the woman's voice intrigued him._

'_Does my death sadden you?'_

'_Of course it does! No one should die like this.' The woman's words confused him. Wasn't she an enemy?_

'_Did you not see when I struck your friend down? I almost killed him. I even held you hostage.' Suddenly she was in front of him, a strange orange glow surrounding him. 'If you are trying to heal me, there is no use. I am done in this world.'_

'_No you're not!' The woman protested, tears staining her delicate skin. 'If…Aizen…ordered you to not to touch me or hurt me in any way, would you do so?'_

'_Aizen-sama would never—'_

'_If...' The human cut him off, using all of her powers to heal his damaged body. 'If, he did…would you protect me?' There was a long and dreadful sentence as Orihime watched as her enemy slowly turned to dust, her power having no effect._

'_Yes…I would.' He said as he closed his eyes. Ulquiorra let the darkness consume him as he felt his body slowly faded away. A bright flash of light was the last thing he remembered until he fell into a deep and long sleep._

Pale green eyes shot open to a brightly lit room. He winced, the luminance suddenly becoming overwhelming. As the man's eyed adjusted to the settings around him, he noticed he was in a Japanese style room, lying upon a futon.

_Strange, I thought I died?_ Before he could examine his surroundings any further, one of the sliding doors slammed open with a tall man standing in the doorway. Ulquiorra vaguely remembered Aizen telling him to be wary of a man wearing a strange green hat.

"Arara, looks like someone is finally awake~" The tall man said, holding a fan over his face. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, ready to attack the man who had invaded the room.

"Who are you…and why am I here?" He asked, his monotone voice coming out in a low and vaguely animalistic.

"My my, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Urahara, and I own this very room you are sleeping in, young _espada."_ He said, putting emphasis on the last word. _So my identity is already discovered? That's not surprise. _The raven unconsciously reached for his sword, but his eyes widened slightly when he felt nothing at his hip.

"Silly espada, as if I would allow you to carry your weapon. Although now, you don't pose a threat to me or anyone in this world for that matter." He said, folding the fan and slipping inside his yukata. Ulquiorra was quite puzzled by the blonde. After a small moment of silence, Urahara spoke up.

"You might not realize the situation you're in now. You have been asleep for quite a few months." _Asleep? A few months? _"Then again, if it wasn't for Miss Inoue, you wouldn't be here."

The pale man's eyes widened slightly. _Was he referring to the woman with the healing powers? Did she manage to save him after all?_

"She didn't exactly save you." Urahara said, as if reading the young man's thoughts. "But nonetheless, you are alive. You should be grateful to her. She even gave you a heart."

"A heart, that's impossible. I am an arrancar." He stated, moving his hand to place on his chest where his hole was. Where his hole was…

The raven frantically felt his chest, feeling something strange. He looked down and noticed his hole that should have been there was not. Instead, it was replaced with this…strange beating.

"What is this?" He asked, his voice staying relatively calm despite his surprise at this new discovery.

"That, Mr. Former Fourth Espada, is a heart."


	2. Truth

The sky was clouded and dark despite that it was early in the afternoon. A tall young man with bright orange hair walked along an empty street, headed towards a building he knew well. He turned the corner to approach the building, but a gust of wind stopped him.

"Long time no see, Ichigo." A tall man with long red hair fashioned into a ponytail stood before him, wearing his traditional Soul Reaper garb. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, zanpakuto at his hip.

"R-renji! What are you doing here?" He asked as they stood in front of Urahara's store. There we no people around, so the sight of a young high school student talking to himself wouldn't draw any attention.

"Orders from above. I'm here to check on the human girl." He said, his happy tone from before disappearing and turning serious. Ichigo was a little shocked to hear that he was here on orders.

"Why does that old m—Yamamoto-taichou care about Inoue? She's just a human." He said, not quite understanding the situation. There was a few moments of silence before the red head explained everything.

"It is partly our fault for her condition. We involved a human in our problems, and now…" He trailed off, not wanting to speak aloud. "Let's go inside already, okay?" He strolled inside the shop, keeping his head low.

It took the orange haired boy a few minutes before he walked slowly inside the shop, hands buried in his pockets. As much as he wanted to see his friend, it hurt every time to look at her. Despite the condition she was in, Orihime still flashed her brilliant smile.

_How can you smile at a time like this?_

Ulquiorra wandered around once he was able to walk. He laughs at his own weakness, feeling that now he was useless. The beating in his chest was strange…no matter how many minutes passed, he still couldn't get used to it.

The yukata he was wearing was also strange, but it was very comfortable. He was about to head into the main shop when he came face to face with a shinigami.

"You!" The man shouted as his eyes widened when he stepped a few paces backwards. "You're the one…" His eyes narrowed instantly as he glared at the raven. The former espada could almost see a red aura emanating from him, the same color as his bright hair. He tilted his head to the side, not quite sure what the man was talking a bout. A few seconds later, a cheery voice entered the room.

"My, my, what do we have here?" The blonde shop owner said, leaning against the door frame. "Abarai-kun. So nice to see you. Ulquiorra. I'm glad to see you up and walking around." He said, his voice trying to quell the small dispute. He turned to the Lieutenant with a smirk.

"You're heard the rumors, but you haven't actually seen it right? Can't you hear it, though? Even the sound of his thumping heart is filling in his ears." _Are they talking about…this strange transformation?_ The raven sighed and closed his eyes.

"I do not know what I did or what happened to that human girl, but I can assure you it was not my intention." He said calmly. Suddenly the door from the outside burst open and Ichigo stormed in.

"Of course you didn't do anything! You did nothing, and that's exactly why Inoue saved your sorry ass!" He yelled frustrated. The Substitute Shinigami stomped his way over to the confused espada, grabbing by the material he was wearing. "It's your fucking fault that Inoue…Inoue…" He couldn't finish his sentence as tears threatened to fall from the young man's eyes.

Ulquiorra didn't understand. What had he done that had caused this boy to be angry at him? He only blinked, his face showing no sign of emotion.

"My, Ichigo, why don't we calm down and visit Miss Inoue?" Urahara said as he separated Ichigo from the confused espada. "You and Renji go on ahead." He said as the red head strolled by them to the back of the shop. After they were alone, the blonde sighed and looked at the raven.

"Ulquiorra, right?" He asked, the arrancar nodding in response. "I apologize for that little straw berry's behavior." The blonde said as he leaned against the wall.

"I don't understand. I didn't ask to be saved…" He said looking at the strange man before him.

"Yes, I understand. Normally if Inoue saved you, they wouldn't care." Urahara began, closing his eyes. "That woman's power is able to restore something out of nothing. When she saw you dying, she tried to restore your body back to normal." The raven nodded in agreement.

"From what I remember, her powers were useless. I acknowledged that fact." The former espada stated, closing his eyes as well.

"This time was different…she must have had some deep strong emotion towards you that made react in the way she did."

"I don't understand…what did she do that could have saved me?" Ulquiorra asked, still not grasping the situation. There was a bit of silence before Urahara continued his explanation.

"As she saved you, she willed herself to give you life. She even went so far as to restore your heart when you were human." He said.

"How is that even possible? Were her powers on that level?" The blonde man shook his head.

"Her power was just a tunnel, so to speak. What saved you wasn't her power." The raven tilted his head. _Then what did?_

"Her life force. Miss Inoue gave you years to live. She somehow willed some years off of her own life, and gave them to you." The raven's eyes widened in shock at the blonde's words.

"Her…life? She gave me…life?" He asked, his voice certain and unsure. Urahara nodded.

"Yes. And now she's suffering from a disease she should have gotten twenty years from now. All because she saved your life and gave you a heart." Ulquiorra couldn't speak. What could he say?

"I guess…you could say…her life is in your hands, now."


	3. Lies

The small room was quiet, an awkward silence causing a young woman to lay in her bed, uncomfortable. She hated it. Those stares of pity and remorse made her feel weak.

"Won't you guys say something? You don't need to be afraid to speak." The woman said calmly, trying to ease the tension that was evident between her and the two males before her.

"What can we say? It's all of our—" Orihime cut off the Lieutenant.

"It is no one's fault. It is my own decision. Please stop treating this like an accident." She pleaded as she sat up slowly, using the pillows behind her as support. Immediately, the two shinigami rushed to her side, fearful for her to fall.

"Inoue! Please don't try and sit up! You should be relaxing." The orange haired man spoke, his strong hands holding her carefully. The young woman shook her head.

"Please, Kurosaki-kun. I can manage just fine. Please don't treat me like a cripple." She said kindly, looking into the other man's eyes. Ichigo hesitantly backed away slightly and resumed his kneeling position near her, Renji following suit.

The silence was back again. Orihime hated it. They would not stop pitying her, and she didn't like it. "If you two won't say anything, then please leave."

"Inoue!" The Substitute Shinigami spoke up, trying to protest. "I just…I don't know what to say, Inoue." He looked conflicted with some sort of inner turmoil. Before anyone could respond, the door to her room opened.

"My, my, Miss Inoue. Looks like you're feeling better seeing that you are sitting up!" A cheery voice echoed in the small room. Urahara waltzed in, standing by the woman's feet. A few seconds later, a man walked in whose face she could never forget. A small gasp escaped her lips when their eyes met briefly. Orihime's heart started to beat rapidly. _There's that feeling again. That sensation only those lonely eyes could give me._

"Look, Miss Inoue, I brought you a present. Our former espada guest has awakened from his long slumber." The blond said, a smile on his lips.

It had been months since the woman had seen the man. Back then he was troubled. His eyes were cold and desperate for something. They screamed out in pain while his face showed no emotion. Now, when she looked into the raven's eyes, she saw something different.

_What is it? _She didn't know for sure, but whatever it was caused her feeble heart to pound ferociously and her whole body to heat up. As if on cue, all four heads turned to her, hearing her heart beat madly.

"Inoue please lay down! That can't be good for your condition!" The red head suggested, worrying for her. _I always knew Abarai-kun was nice, but why was he here? _Against her wishes, she laid back down again, hoping to calm everyone in the room down.

"You men are full of worries. Please toss them aside…I'm not going to die any time soon." She said, her eyes glistening with the smallest amount of tears. Only the guys weren't looking at her. They were focused on the green eyed male standing above them. She had a feeling they were glaring with hate, but she didn't want them to feel that way.

Ulquiorra was special. He was a lost soul who knew nothing about love and friendship. She wanted to give that to him. Show him a world where not everything is about fighting or killing. A peaceful world…right here. That heart would surely come to her aid, helping the pale man to understand exactly what a heart is and what it means to love.

"May I ask that Kurosaki and Abarai leave the room?" The shop owner asked, noticing the tension between the shinigami and the arrancar.

"What? Urahara!" Ichigo complained, but the blond would have no arguments. Seeing the look in his eyes, the two shinigami got up silently and looked at Orihime one more time before leaving the small room.

"Well, I'll head out too! See you later, little children~" The blond said as he quickly exited the room before either Orihime or Ulquiorra could protest. While waiting outside, the two other males were fuming.

"How can we just let them be alone? Ulquiorra's going to fucking kill her!" Ichigo yelled as he paced the hall way. Renji nodded in response.

"Yeah, I don't like that guy. There's something…off about him." He mused, not in the most enjoyable situation. Their renting was stopped when the shop owner waltzed over to them.

"My, my, Abarai-kun and Ichigo-kun. No need to worry. Orihime will be just fine~" He said, leaning against a wall. The way he finished his sentence perturbed the orange haired boy.

"Just fine? What's that supposed to mean?" He asked angrily. Urahara, unfazed by his childish rage, put his hands in defense.

"Just what I mean~ In fact, Orihime won't have a heart condition any more~" He said happily, striding by them to the front of the shop. It took the two males a few seconds before they charged after the former captain in search of answers.

"What do you mean, she won't have a heart condition?"

"Are you just going to leave that bastard with her alone?"

"Why don't we calm down, okay?" Urahara said, ignoring the questions, heading to a larger room. "Let's have some tea, ne?" He suggested as he sat down in front of a table. "Ururu, bring us some tea and sake~" He said cheerily to the young girl who was standing in the hallway. She scurried away and the two males sat down in front of the blond, not enjoying their situation.

After a few moments of silence, Urahara broke the tension. "So, I'm sure you're curious as to why they're alone." The two teens yelled at him, making their protest to the situation well known. The shop owner chuckled while Ururu walked in with a tray of tea and sake. "Thanks, Ururu~" He chimed, taking the sake with a smile.

"Don't stray from the subject, Urahara-san! We want to know what's going on!" The lieutenant said, anger flashing in his eyes. The older man sighed as he calmly sipped his sake.

"Well, no need hiding it, huh?" He said with a chuckle, setting his sake cup on the table, shifting himself to be in a more comfortable situation. "It's really simple…" Urahara was teasing them, and the two shinigami knew it. They were about to voice their rage but the shop owner held a finger up to silence them. The males sighed, waiting for the explanation.

Urahara smirked slightly after another sip of sake. "Like I told you, it's very simple. There's nothing to fear because…Miss Inoue doesn't have a heart condition."


End file.
